Duma calls on world parliaments to prevent humanitarian disaster in Ukraine

Russian MPs suggest a new international contact group on the basis of PACE that would help stop the armed standoff in Ukraine and prevent the looming humanitarian disaster in the country.

The address to the parliaments of the world and international
parliamentary organizations has been prepared jointly by all four
parliamentary parties and signed by lower house speaker Sergey
Naryshkin (United Russia) and first deputy speakers Vladimir
Vasilyev (United Russia), Gennadiy Zyuganov (Communist Party),
Sergey Mironov (Fair Russia) and Vladimir Zhirinovsky (Liberal
Democratic Party).

“The State Duma MPs are outraged by the fact that the current
Kiev authorities are supporting the escalation of the civil war
and cruel murders of civilians by raging nationalist radicals.
Until today the precise number and names of those of those burned
alive in Odessa have not been disclosed. The numbers range from
several dozen to several hundred and this is proof of the
authorities’ unwillingness to tell the truth and put those
responsible on trial,” the letter reads.

The MPs also write that it was important to inform all their
colleagues around the world that dozens of people were killed in
the towns of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, as well as other places in
Ukraine, under the pretext of a counter-terrorist operation,
which is in reality a punitive raid.

“Millions of Ukrainian citizens have become hostages of the
Kiev junta and potential victims of the mass Human Rights
violations,” the MPs said.

The Russian politicians stated in the address that it was
necessary to hold consultations between parliaments in order to
develop approaches that would contribute to the defusing of
tensions and restoration of security for all Ukrainian citizens.
The document also mentioned the road map drafted by the Swiss
chair of the OSCE on May 7 this year as “worthy of
attention.”

The letter will be forwarded to the PACE, the Parliamentary
Assembly of the OSCE, the Asian-Pacific Parliamentary Assembly,
Pan-African Parliament and to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which
will forward it to parliaments of the world through diplomatic
channels.

In January this year the State Duma passed a similar statement in
which it said that the aggravation of the political and social
situation in Ukraine should be blamed on radical opposition and
also on certain foreign political circles, who supported the
opposition that seized the power in the country a short time
later as a result of a violent coup.